Chapter 378, You're Not Suited to Be a Captain
Wu Heng ignored her nonsense.
He continued asking, "When the ship leaves the port, where should I send it to?"
Philipa replied, just sail along the 'Sinanya Route,' we'll meet up there.
"Is this route safe? Any other pirates around?"
"No, I'm the only one cruising this route! Besides, it's just over a day away from Gold-Silver Island; it's hard to run into other ships," Philipa said, then reminded him, "When we meet, don't forget to act it out properly, make sure no one suspects anything."
"We'll just pretend to put up a fight, then act like we're losing, and escape on a small boat!"
"Right, I'll have the crew attack from a distance, and you guys just make it look like you can't handle it, then kneel and beg for mercy. Ruthless Captain Philipa will order a full attack and boarding, while you guys escape on a small boat, abandoning the cargo-filled ship. The pirates will take over the ship and cheer for their great captain," Philipa spoke more and more excitedly.
Wu Heng was left speechless.
Listening to her, he could already picture her getting excited while explaining.
"Kneeling and begging for mercy might be unnecessary."
"Whatever you say. I'm working for you anyway. I get to keep face out here, and it makes you look good too," Philipa said.
As if she was doing this all for his sake.
"Alright, I'll have everything arranged for tomorrow. When the ship leaves, I'll notify you. Keep your ship near the route and don't wander off."
"Got it, waiting on you."
"Mm."
Ending the communication, Wu Heng placed the microphone back down.
With Philipa being safe, Wu Heng felt relieved.
He opened the door and told Minnie to prepare dinner.
Then went back upstairs.
...
He pushed open the door to the alchemy room.
Inside, the alchemical skeletons were still busy with their tasks.
Wu Heng handed the newly obtained zombie cores to Alchemy One.
His gaze also fell on a shelf filled with potions.
[Strengthening Potion]...
A total of nine potions, all made from level-1 zombie cores, neatly arranged.
"The efficiency of level-1 potions is this high now?"
These cores were obtained during the clearing of the roundabout zombies—nine level-1 cores in total.
All had been turned into potions.
The efficiency was indeed impressive.
Wu Heng put the zombie core potions away.
Opened the freezer for a look.
Counting the newly delivered cores, there were two level-1 cores and five level-2 cores.
Then he opened the organ jar beside it.
Inside were three level-3 zombie cores in total.
All of these were dropped from level-3 zombies he'd previously killed. Originally four, but one must have been used in potion development.
There still hadn't been a successful level-3 potion.
Even with the 15th-level alchemical skeleton involved, there didn't seem to be much progress.
Luckily, he had this magical tool for storing organs.
Otherwise, cores that couldn't be used might have already gone bad.
Sealing the organ jar once more,
Wu Heng exited the alchemy room.
...
After dinner,
Wu Heng returned to the study, leaning back in his seat, pondering the gains from the past two days and his upcoming plans.
"The pirate bounty, figuring out how to use the Silentblade Cursed Sword, and I need to level up to 15 soon."
The bounty on him by the pirates had reached 500 gold.
Forget about a standard bounty, even assassinating a regional steward wouldn't fetch such a price.
It was a bit absurd.
Wu Heng often thought about why the Blank Envelope was so focused on him and why the price kept increasing.
If they had a grudge against the guild, they should be targeting 'Imiro,' right?
Putting a bounty on a mere deputy steward was insane.
"For now, the Blank Envelope sees Philipa as a pirate, and she is my only lead—I can't let that lead end."
He would have to continue supporting Philipa.
Even if she couldn't uncover specific intel, she could at least inform him immediately.
Then there was the 'Silentblade Cursed Sword.'
The weapon he'd spent two thousand gold on had turned out to be a burden.
Its power was fierce enough to kill any moving enemy within range, but it also killed the wielder.
As it stood, it could kill level-12 targets easily, but whether it could handle stronger enemies was uncertain.
He didn't even want to bring it out for research anymore.
"If I can find a way to prevent self-injury, if not, I'll just let skeletons use it as disposable pawns, wielding the sword and seeing whose endurance gives out first."
Lastly, his level.
Reaching level 15 would put him among the tier-four powerhouses, at a leader's level within major factions.
In essence, his abilities would see a significant improvement. Beyond his agreement with Shanella, a higher power level meant better handling of dangers.
Leveling up remained the most stable way to enhance himself.
He opened his status panel and checked his experience points.
[Level: 14 (161,781/165,000)]
Just over three thousand more experience points—one wave of zombies should do it.
"Once I finish delivering the goods to Philipa, I'll level up."
After analyzing these three matters, Wu Heng was about to stand up when he suddenly paused.
"There's also the level-3 potion development. I need to figure out how to buy a higher-level alchemist's corpse. Otherwise, these cores are going to rot sooner or later."
He went over everything once again.
Confirming nothing was missed, he got up and poured himself a cup of tea.
Then he sat back down.
He took out [Mordenkainen's Mansion Spell] and began flipping through it again.
As the day slowly turned into night,
Wu Heng reached the last page, waiting quietly for a moment.
His brow furrowed slightly.
There was no skill-unlocking prompt.
"What's going on?"
He opened the panel and looked at the skills section.
There was indeed no record of 'Mordenkainen's Mansion Spell.'
"The skill book is fake? No, it shows the name and description—it can't be fake. Where did I go wrong!"
He pondered for a while.
He came up with two possible reasons.
One, his disjointed reading method was ineffective.
The second, maybe his attributes didn't meet the skill requirements.
Reading the 'Book of the Undead,' it often mentioned the standards needed for learning and researching spells.
The current failure to unlock the skill might have something to do with that.
"I'll try reading it in one go when I have time."
As night completely fell, Wu Heng put the book away.
He freshened up briefly,
Then went downstairs and lightly knocked on Andviel's door.
The door opened, and Andviel stood there in a nightgown.
They looked at each other.
Andviel immediately threw herself at him.
Wu Heng lifted her, kissing her as he walked towards the bed.
The little fox wrapped herself around him, her face flushed, her fluffy tail wagging quickly.
...
The next day.
Wu Heng, wearing the 'Illusion Veil,' got off the carriage.
He glanced at the bustling port, then boarded a ship that had been prepared in advance.
After walking across the deck, he found the cabin was filled with skeletons.
"Sharktooth, set sail. Head for the 'Sinanya Route.'"
Sharktooth, accompanied by several armored skeletons, went up to the deck.
The freighter slowly left the port,
Heading deep into the ocean.
The ship plowed through the waves.
Wu Heng walked around the ship for a bit, leaving Sharktooth to continue steering.
He then began rearranging the freighter, making it look more like a long-used cargo vessel rather than a ship that had been docked for ages.
Once he was satisfied with the setup, he returned to the deck, set up a reclining chair, and resumed reading [Mordenkainen's Mansion Spell] from the beginning.
He aimed to finish it in one go today to verify his theory.
...
On the Iron Barrel pirate ship,
In the dim meeting room, a faintly glowing stone swayed overhead.
On either side of an old, knife-scarred wooden table, people stood or sat, gathered in the room.
On the left side, a man with a red sailor's cap and rough skin spoke directly, "Philipa, considering you led us out of Gold-Silver Island, step down as captain. No one will make things hard for a woman."
Philipa pulled back the foot she had propped up on the table edge, locking eyes with him, "You remember that I led you out of there, yet you keep challenging me these days. I thought you had forgotten."
"You're not suited to be the captain. You've run the entire pirate crew like a fishing boat," the man sneered.
The supporters behind him echoed his sentiment.
"The pirate crew hasn't plundered any cargo in ages."
"We all go out to sea to make a living. You're just not up to it."
Philipa narrowed her eyes, glancing at the expressions of the people across from her, as well as the weapons at their waists.
Of all days, they chose today to try and take over.
If her deputy steward boss saw this, it would be quite embarrassing.
Imagining the worst-case scenario, she continued, "Have I starved you, or cut your pay? What makes you support him?"
The middle-aged man across from her smiled, saying, "We're pirates, not salaried workers. If we wanted wages, we'd be guards for some trade company. Philipa, step down now, or don't blame us for getting rough."
Swish, swish, swish~!
As soon as he finished speaking, many of the sailors behind him drew their swords.
Philipa's supporters also drew their weapons in unison.
They cursed the other side as traitors, preparing for a fight.
The meeting room was a chaotic mess, just one action away from an all-out brawl.
Philipa glanced at the tall figure beside her, a skeletal bodyguard left by Wu Heng for her protection.
She quickly considered her options, then took out a blank envelope and slapped it onto the table.
She cursed loudly, "Shut the hell up! The next trading convoy is coming through soon, and only I know the route and location. Are you sure you want me gone and let that cargo slip away?"
The people across from her were stunned, glancing at the envelope and then back at her.
"The last one, right? How could it be this soon?" someone muttered.
"Idiot!" Philipa cursed, then continued, "If we don't take this cargo in the next two days, I'll step down myself. But if we succeed, everyone profits, proving my leadership isn't the problem. Let's settle it that way."
The crowd began discussing in low voices, losing the aggressive momentum they had moments ago.
The man in the red sailor's hat frowned, speaking twice to sway them, but it was clear that more people agreed with her.
After all, it was only two days—no big deal.
Seeing everyone in agreement, the man with the red hat cleared his throat and said, "Alright, Philipa, this was your idea. We'll give it two days. By the Sea God, we swear."
"Fine, by the Sea God," Philipa responded immediately.
The others began putting their weapons away.
Philipa continued, "Everyone back to your posts. If anyone screws this up, I'll gut you and feed you to the fish."
The crowd nodded and quickly left the room.
Philipa returned to her captain's quarters, sat down, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Looking at the radio, she muttered, "You better not screw this up."
...
The sky darkened.
Wu Heng was still reading the skill book in his hand without pause.
After finishing the last page, he listened for a moment.
Still silence—there was no prompt.
"Damn it, this skill is cursed!"
Glenda floated nearby, also reading a book. She turned her head and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so frustrated over reading?"
Wu Heng sighed softly and put the skill book away.
"Nothing, just couldn't learn the skill."
Glenda floated over, "It's not that easy. You'll get it eventually. Don't rush."
Uh...
Wu Heng had no way to explain, so he just nodded, "You're right."
As they talked,
Xiaoxiao flew back from the sky, saying, "Uncle, there's a pirate ship coming. They seem to have spotted us."
Wu Heng stood up, looking into the distance.
The sea was pitch black; the enemy ship had likely not lit any lamps.
"Let me see."
Xiaoxiao entered his body, sharing her vision with him.
A pirate ship flying the Iron Barrel pirate flag was approaching them.
Releasing Xiaoxiao, Wu Heng said, "Xiaoxiao, stay on guard. Glenda, go to the pirate ship. The captain there is my spy, named Philipa. Last time you saw her, she had braided pigtails. Tell her we're here and to proceed as planned."
Glenda nodded, "Alright."
With that, she flew towards the pirate ship in the distance.
Wu Heng continued commanding the skeletons to act like a passing cargo ship, hanging spare boats off the side to prepare for evacuation.
...
Iron Barrel Pirate Crew.
Clang, clang~!
The sound of a copper bell echoed from inside the ship.
A large group of pirates rushed out onto the deck, climbed the rigging, and looked into the distance.
"There really is a cargo ship, not many people aboard!"
"Never seen that flag before. Must be a newly formed trading company."
"Where's the captain? Why isn't she out here yet?"
"I'll go get her!"
A pirate quickly ran down from the deck, banging on the door.
"Captain, there's a cargo ship, few people, no defensive weapons."
Philipa's voice came from inside, "Bring us alongside, I'll be right out."
"Alright!"
The pirate answered and left immediately.
Inside the room.
Philipa stared, startled, at the ghostly figure that had passed through the wall.
"Are you Philipa?"
"You're the deputy steward's ghost?" Philipa quickly caught on and spoke directly.
The ghost nodded, replying, "Yes, the cargo ship is here. Stick to the plan, no mistakes."
"Got it, understood." Philipa said.
Seeing that the ghost was about to leave, Philipa added, "Tell him to kill someone for me. He's trying to take my captain's spot."
...
Wu Heng stood on the deck, watching the pirate ship come into view.
And the pirates aboard were shouting, brandishing their weapons.
They looked like a bunch of monkeys, overly dramatic.
"Archers ready, fire!" Wu Heng commanded.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!
Arrows flew into the night sky, splashing into the sea, with a few landing on the deck.
The shouting pirates ducked for cover.
Immediately, the pirates began dodging.
Arrows and spears were hurled back, and the ballistae and catapults aboard the pirate ship fired in return.
Boom, boom~!
The violent impact made the ship shake violently.
The skeletons on the deck swayed, struggling to stay on their feet.
Wu Heng saw Philipa standing on a barrel, giving orders.
After calling for two more volleys, he said directly, "Lower the boats, we're retreating."
Two medium-sized wooden boats, hanging on the side of the freighter, were dropped into the sea.
Wu Heng boarded one with the skeletons, quickly rowing away.
...
Aboard the pirate ship.
"They ran."
"Figures, just some rookie trading company—cowards."
"Jackpot, let's get over there fast."
"Captain forever!"
The pirates cheered for capturing the cargo ship without a scratch.
Forget what was onboard, just the ship itself was a massive score.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a huge win.
The ship quickly approached, and the pirates eagerly waited to board.
On deck, Philipa watched the ship sail away, her eyes wide.
Anxiety filled her, but she couldn't warn them—her task wasn't done yet.
By the railing.
The man in the red sailor's hat leaned against the rail with a few others, whispering.
"What now? We really got the cargo ship."
The man glanced at Philipa, his face hardening, "Follow her later, find a chance to kill her, and say there were traps on the ship."
"Who'd believe that?" someone replied.
"When I'm captain, you all will..."
Bang~!
The man's words abruptly stopped, his head bursting like a watermelon.